Switzerland: The pro-Eurovision referendum campaign commences!
The Basel-Stadt canton is up for an unprecedented referendum. A little less than four thousand people have signed a petition opposing the canton’s decision to finance Eurovision 2025 on behalf of an ultra-conservative Swiss party that is not represented in the national parliament.
The pro-Eurovision campaign began after the request to include a question on the ballot was approved and the referendum will be held on November 24.
Basel’s trade association supports the hosting
Reto Baumgartner, the director of the Basel Trade Association, has been tasked with making sure that the canton’s Eurovision fund contribution is approved by the majority of Basel voters. In addition, he is the current president of FC Basel and a former professional football player.
The trade association was asked to take the initiative, according to Baumgartner. It is expected that owners and staff of restaurants and hotels will support Eurovision 2025 because they anticipate an increase in business and profit. Their primary argument is that the 38.5 million CHF fund will result in 60 million CHF in direct added value.
Theoretically, it will be an easy choice among the members of Basel’s Trade Association.
The campaign
It is unclear what the anti-Eurovision supporters have planned and whether anti-ESC coalitions will emerge in the upcoming weeks.
Both sides will have a shorter referendum campaign than in the past. No specific plans for a paid advertising campaign have been made. At the moment, the pro-ESC side is only seeking people to join a social media campaign.
Three slogans are available to participants:
- “Basel in the spotlight – Europe is watching”
- “Occupied beds, strengthened economy – Basel wins”
- “Celebrate together – diversity connects”
The referendum
With 87 votes in favor, 4 against, and 4 abstentions, Basel’s cantonal parliament approved the funding for Eurovision 2025 on September 11. The only political party opposed to this funding, though, is the EDU. It needed outside support to collect enough signatures because of its limited presence in Basel City.
The tiny Christian party had earlier declared that it would launch a referendum to stop public support for what it called a “propaganda event.”
Ultimately, the aforementioned political party gathered the signatures needed and on November 24, voters are going to vote on this and two other cantonal and four federal proposals. The question on the ballot regarding Eurovision 2025 will be the following:
Do you want to accept the decision of the great council, taken on the 11th of September 2024, in regards to the allocated funds for the ESC 2025 in Basel?
However, there is no need to worry about a potential cancelation of the upcoming contest. In the worst case scenario that the voters go with EDU’s proposal, the only implication will be a smaller contest with less funding than originally planned.
Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!
